ISO: Does Tower Or Straight Stick Have An Effect?

[ex-commish 490]

Does having either a towerladder or straight stick impact the ISO ratings? Any takers on this???? Thank you.

Andy Mancusi

Chief

Hawthorne FD

[exmrvfc 0]

Are you asking do they qualify sticks and towers differently? I do not believe they do. The main component is that the ladder or tower be 100ft or reach the roof of the highest building in your district in order to recieve credit.

Dave Gallagher wrote a good article on this in a trade magazine called Fire Apparatus detailing the ISO requirements. Someone esle in these forums gave a pretty good synopsis in the Towers vs Sticks forum.

You can also receive credit for for a second ladder being dispatched if you have automatic aid.

[JAD622 40]

Does having either a towerladder or straight stick impact the ISO ratings?  Any takers on this???? Thank you.

Andy Mancusi

Chief

Hawthorne FD

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The ISO Rating criteria is very complex. The impact of a ladder company is only one small aspect of the overall formula used by ISO. In actuality, what ladder your department uses could have absolutely NO bearing whatsoever on your ISO rating if you are deficient in other areas they deem more important. If your concern is due to a future apparatus purchase, you may want to have your last ISO report reviewed first to see where your improvements are needed. If you'd like to know more, feel free to give us a call. Hope this helps with your question.

[STAT213 332]

Chief,

Is this for your new ladder, cause we have already had this discussion!!!

Seriously though...I have found some great answers, info and resources at www.isoslayer.com. From what I have seen on their website, they have their ducks in a row when it comes to ISO questions.

Good luck,

RA

Edited January 25, 2006 by STAT213

[antiquefirelt 994]

of a ladder company is only one small aspect of the overall formula used by ISO. In actuality, what ladder your department uses could have absolutely NO bearing whatsoever on your ISO rating if you are deficient in other areas they deem more important.

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I don't think that is 100% correct. If your community requires an aerial device then ISO will take away or give points for your ladder regardless off everything else. True there are many factors, and some hold more weight than others. But you will be deficient in points if you do not have a ladder and they think you should. It very well could not be enough points to change your actual rating though as again there are many factors, each with many points and different weights.

Also, automatic aid credit is only accepted where you can document training per ISO minimum schedules. Another problem we found was that if you provide mutaul aid with your apparatus and more than (I think) 25% of teh responses are out of your town - YOU COULD LOSE CREDIT for your own truck.

[JAD622 40]

But you will be deficient in points if you do not have a ladder and they think you should.

I meant having a stick or tower. You are right, you definetly need an aerial in almost all cases.

[antiquefirelt 994]

But you will be deficient in points if you do not have a ladder and they think you should.

I meant having a stick or tower. You are right, you definetly need an aerial in almost all cases.

←

Yeah, sorry I didn't :what ladder you use".

[IzzyEng4 427]

Hartford CT is ISO Class one with 5 towers, no sticks. I don't know if that helped them. I think they got the rating in the late 80's or early 90's but I may be mistaken on that.

Edited February 12, 2006 by IzzyEng4

[antiquefirelt 994]

As EWAC said the type of aerial device has no bearing, it is that you have the requisite number of aerials, they carry the ISO equipment list, you've certified them each year. There are way more pitfalls that most of us need to overcome. Satffing, response time, water supply (this kills us), dispatch systems (another issue in our area) and training. Many departments think that by having automatic aid they get full credit for their neighbors equipment- this is not true. TYou can get partial credit with well documented quarterley combined training and proper response times. But as we found when we used a mutaul aid companies ladder while ours was OOS, they did 75% of their calls in our city and could lose partial credit as it is their only truck co. Shared resources must still allow for adequate coverage in the owners municpality most of the time. I don't remeber the exact numbers, I'll see ehat I can dig up.